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America's First Zoo Celebrates 150th Birthday
3/17/2009 12:00:00 AM
America's First Zoo Celebrates 150th Birthday
1859 was a truly historical year. Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, Charles Dickens published A Tale of Two Cities, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania signed the charter establishing the Zoological Society of Philadelphia--the very first of its kind in this country.
America’s First Zoo--the Philadelphia Zoo--turned 150 on March 21, 2009! The Zoo thinks that an occasion this wild deserves more than just one birthday bash. In tribute to the anniversary date of the signing of that charter, the Zoo launched a year-long celebration.
The Zoo’s 150th, or sesquicentennial, kicked off with a Victorian Festival to help guests experience the wonder of earlier days in the Zoo’s history. Sesquicentennial Weekend, March 21 and 22, featured a Birthday Cake Competition, storytellers in Victorian garb and entertainment from the Victorian Era including puppet shows, barbershop quartets, brass bands and more. Guests had a chance to eat birthday cake and bring our animals presents. They also had an opportunity to view the 2008 World Series trophy, on loan to us from our friends the Philadelphia Phillies. A temporary Sesquicentennial History Exhibit was also unveiled during the weekend and will remain in the Zoo until March 2010, allowing guests to take a walk down memory lane and discover how their history connects with the Zoo’s. Click here to see some great photos from the weekend.
But don’t worry, the sesquicentennial sensation won’t end there. On May 30, the Zoo’s new $17.5 million McNeil Avian Center spreads its wings at its grand opening. This new aviary incorporates lush walk-through habitats where visitors can discover over 100 spectacular birds from around the world, many of them rare and endangered. The exhibit immerses visitors in exotic landscapes full of color and sound featuring fantastic rhinoceros hornbills, striking Victoria crowned pigeons and nest-crazy hammerkops. In the multi-sensory 4-D Migration Theater, viewers follow Otis the Oriole, a hatchling from Fairmount Park, on his first migration south. This beautiful renovation of our 1916 birdhouse is an engaging blend of old and new, which ties in perfectly with our birthday celebration.
In some world cultures, at a certain age you give presents on your birthday. To celebrate that tradition, the Zoo has pledged to donate 150 educational experiences to regional schools and community organizations. The Zoo has also selected fifteen grant recipients to receive $1,500 each for local projects based on conservation and sustainability.
The Philadelphia Zoo is excited to celebrate its past, but it is also looking forward to the exciting highlights of its future, which include plans to open the Hamilton Family Children’s Zoo and a goal of going carbon neutral by 2012.
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